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Just a really good read from ESPN. Thought you guys might be interested in taking a look. Nothing really new or revolutionary in the article, but I still enjoyed it.

Not to give away too much, but this was probably my favorite segment of the article and why I'm so proud and thankful to be a Ravens' fan.

Quote:

"Let's be honest, this thing we do, it's a diversion," Harbaugh said. "But it pushes fathers and sons together, or husbands and wives or buddies. It gives you something simple to talk about. If someone is going to associate themselves with our team, I want them to be proud of it. And that, to me, was a shining moment where character was revealed in all of our guys, most especially Torrey. It's like OK, if you're a fan of the Ravens, you can say, 'Hey it's worth it. I'm attached to this thing, and it's a good thing. It's better than just me. It's bigger than just me.'"

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bananabucket wrote:

Matts4313 wrote:

For years the argument has been, mostly, Peyton V Joe V Brady as the GOAT QB.

Great article. Really strong message. I love the writing as well, his ability to continuously loop the "iron sharpening iron, man sharpening man" message throughout really provided the article with something more than simply substance, but gave it a sort of repetition... gave it a strength stronger than just the words that went into the article. It made it truly a special piece- a writing achievement._________________

Torrey, if he becomes really good - like, Hall of Fame good, might honestly surpass Ray Lewis as the face of this franchise. Local guy, incredible character, not the least bit divisive...it's a long way off, but if he ever gets the resume, he could be adored in the way that Brooks and Cal are.

Great article. Really strong message. I love the writing as well, his ability to continuously loop the "iron sharpening iron, man sharpening man" message throughout really provided the article with something more than simply substance, but gave it a sort of repetition... gave it a strength stronger than just the words that went into the article. It made it truly a special piece- a writing achievement.

"We all have our issues and we all struggle," Harbaugh said. "So I'm not judging anybody. But to get criticized for overreacting to a win like that? Like you shouldn't get excited? Look, if you can't get excited about the success of a friend or someone that you coach or teach, if you can't do that, what is life even worth? You can't get excited about anything. I don't want your life. I was just so thrilled for Torrey."

As far as Torrey, it's difficult to overstate just how much he is loved by this fanbase. His game against New England was so universally emotional in a way that I have very rarely experienced sports. Wonderful man, and unbelievable football player. He's on his way to absolutely amazing things in this league. The improvement he has shown from when he came into this league through his rookie year, and then from that point to now is already evident. He came into this league not even really knowing what a real route tree looked like and now he's the kind of threat on any play that makes a defense feel the need to smother him with coverage. He may not be a consistent threat in the middle of the field yet, but with his work ethic, intelligence, and natural talent, there's no doubt he'll get there. This guy is going to be elite in a way that Baltimore fans have quite simply never seen before._________________

Torrey is 100% the type of player I love having. All talent aside (which is outstanding), he's a local guy who is truly thankful to have an opportunity to play for a team like the Ravens. He's mature, he works hard, and he holds himself to an incredibly high standard on and off the field.

As far as Torrey the player, the sky really is the limit, and we're seeing it this year. It's borderline insane how much he has improved in such a short period of time. I mean this is a guy who people were down on before he had even played a game. Reports out of rookie camp were so bad that it almost looked like we had a bust in the making. At that point in time we all would've bet money that Tandon Doss would be a bigger threat as a rookie.

Fast forward to now; it's to the point where I legitimately expect him to score a TD in every game. And the scary thing? He still has a TON of potential to get even better. I can't wait to see how his career plays out, we've foot a keeper with him.

Torrey, if he becomes really good - like, Hall of Fame good, might honestly surpass Ray Lewis as the face of this franchise. Local guy, incredible character, not the least bit divisive...it's a long way off, but if he ever gets the resume, he could be adored in the way that Brooks and Cal are.

I know that you're just being ambitious... And I definitely think that Torrey could surpass an Ed Reed or Terrell Suggs, but surpassing Lewis- I think- would be an impossible task. We're talking about the greatest middle linebacker of all time. Lewis was the 2nd pick of our first draft. He was the first and major leader of our franchise for a span of two decades. He has a vibrant personality that's infectious... Hyped the team up with pre-game speeches, and he had his iconic dance coming out of the tunnel.

Lewis transcends simply being a face of our franchise... He's the one guy that will probably forever be its soul. Torrey might even face stiff competition in surpassing Joe Flacco. I mean after a long road of having never had success at both positions we finally hit with both guys. If Flacco leads this team to a Super Bowl win, he'll likely win the MVP, so he could really be hard to surpass as well. But I definitely see your point. Torrey could become one of the key faces._________________

Torrey, if he becomes really good - like, Hall of Fame good, might honestly surpass Ray Lewis as the face of this franchise. Local guy, incredible character, not the least bit divisive...it's a long way off, but if he ever gets the resume, he could be adored in the way that Brooks and Cal are.

I know that you're just being ambitious... And I definitely think that Torrey could surpass an Ed Reed or Terrell Suggs, but surpassing Lewis- I think- would be an impossible task. We're talking about the greatest middle linebacker of all time. Lewis was the 2nd pick of our first draft. He was the first and major leader of our franchise for a span of two decades. He has a vibrant personality that's infectious... Hyped the team up with pre-game speeches, and he had his iconic dance coming out of the tunnel.

Lewis transcends simply being a face of our franchise... He's the one guy that will probably forever be its soul. Torrey might even face stiff competition in surpassing Joe Flacco. I mean after a long road of having never had success at both positions we finally hit with both guys. If Flacco leads this team to a Super Bowl win, he'll likely win the MVP, so he could really be hard to surpass as well. But I definitely see your point. Torrey could become one of the key faces.

Yeah, it's hard for a WR to be the face of a franchise in the first place, let alone having to follow Ray Lewis. I wouldn't even say Jerry Rice, the most successful WR ever, was the face of the 49ers over Joe Montana and Steve Young. The QB's almost always get more glory than the WR's. If we win a Super Bowl, Flacco will get the MVP (and all the glory), unless he absolutely does nothing and Ray Rice runs for 200 yards and 2 TD's. If Torrey has a good game, so does Joe. Unfortunately, he really doesn't have much of a chance at being the face of the franchise. I hope I'm wrong though. It would be nice to see such a great guy from the area be the face of the Ravens.